


Three Knocks

by Dat1Slime



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: But only if you squint, Found Family, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Minor Character Death, dont worry its temporary, lil bit of orolemm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23817694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dat1Slime/pseuds/Dat1Slime
Summary: The Broken vessel gets adopted. That's it, that's the fic.
Relationships: Broken Vessel | Lost Kin & Nailmaster Oro, Broken Vessel | Lost Kin & Relic Seeker Lemm (Hollow Knight), Nailmaster Oro & Relic Seeker Lemm
Comments: 6
Kudos: 84





	Three Knocks

Two quick knocks, a pause, then another knock. 

The vessel had watched others do similar. They watch the owner of the hut train others to be strong and they want to be strong. They heard the owner's deep voice as he approached moving the curtain that acted like a door. He looked down at the vessel who looked up with a blank stare. 

"What do you want?" He seemed annoyed at being disturbed by the vessel, but they merely lifted the nail they looted off some corpse. "What? Do you want me to train you?" 

The vessel nodded and looked up at him expectantly.

"Do you have any geo?" The vessel stared blankly for a moment then shook their head. 

"Then I can't train you. Come back when you have geo." With that he turned around and headed back within the hut. The vessel stayed for a moment before walking off. 

  
  


_____

Two quick knocks, a pause, then another knock.

The knock was identical to the first. The same large bug emerged and stared down the vessel. "So did you get the geo."

The vessel nodded and produced a small bag which the bug took. Oro counted the geo in the bag only 17 pieces. Granted he never specified how much geo they needed. Besides they looked pretty young didn't they have a parent that could teach them? Maybe even pay him?

"Hey kid do you have any family?" They just stared at him blankly. Oro just shook his head. "Alright I'll train you." That got a reaction out of the vessel. One of joy and excitement. 

  
  


The day went by slowly, Oro teaching the vessel the basics. When the day was over Oro told them to head home. The vessel just stared at him which made him feel... strange? They stayed still for a moment until they finally understood the message and left. 

  
  


_____

Two quick knocks, a pause, then another knock. 

Oro came out and the vessel handed him the same small bag from the other day. The bag held 26 pieces of geo this time. 

  
  


It went on like that for a while. The vessel would come and do their standard knock. Two quick knocks, a pause, then another knock. Oro would come out. They'd hand him the bag with a varying amount of geo. They'd train and then the vessel would leave. 

  
  


_____

Two quick knocks, a pause, then another knock.

This time it was different instead Oro invited them inside instead of training outside. Something was cooking over a fire in the middle of the room. Oro sat near the fire and the vessel followed and sat by Oro. 

"Can I see your nail." He held out his hand. It wasn't a question, it was a demand not like the vessel would refuse anyways. They placed the nail into his hand. Oro inspected the nail, it was dull but he could sharpen it for them. His eye caught something carved into the blade, it was faded but he could just make out a name. 

"Karr?" He read it aloud and the vessel looked at him a bit confused. "Is that your name?" 

It wasn't, it was the name of the dead bug they took the nail from. But something deep inside them told them not to tell Oro this and just nod, so they did. "It's an interesting name."

The day was spent mainly in silence only broken when Oro asked the ves- Karr if they wanted to eat or drink. It was nice Karr decided. Oro was nice. 

  
  


_____

These "lazy days" slowly added to their usual routine. Karr would knock their signature knock. Two quick knocks, a pause, then another knock. They'd train but sometimes they'd just sit inside Oro's hut and he might tell them a story. Sometimes there were others when they trained. Sometimes an infected bug would make their way to Oro's hut and they'd fight it off. 

Oro learned Karr didn't have any family to speak of it seemed. He felt bad and over all their sessions he slowly grew attached to them. So when he learned Karr's "home" was just a crevice that was barely big enough for them he just ordered Karr to stay with them. Oro tried to make them their own bed but when they cuddled up next to them it felt a little too right and Oro never bothered with another bed again. 

Oro had become basically their father and he had no problem with that. They continued their training and if Karr ever needed something they'd always repeat their signature knock. 

  
  


Slowly as Karr got stronger Oro would make them come with him and train against the infected hoppers. Soon Karr would go out on their own and return with little trinkets of their adventures. 

Everything was great until one day Karr didn't come back. Oro got rightfully panicked. He searched Kingdoms edge in nearly its entirety. He even searched through part of the City of Tears but he never saw any sign of them. All he could do was return to his hut and pray Karr was still out there alive. 

Oro became more closed off and bitter. His mind would sometimes play tricks on him and he'd think he'd heard Karr's knock and he'd rush to the entrance only to find no one there. He'd wept and begged to any god to bring Karr back to him. It never happened.

Sometimes a light would blur his vision and a voice whispered to him. It said that Karr was dead but the voice could bring them back all Oro had to do was let them in. Oro had heavily considered it multiple times but he never went through with it. But if Karr really was dead, did that mean he's never going to see them again?

  
  


_____

A loud scream shook its way through the Hallownest's caverns. Oro shot up from his bed and ran outside. The land was silent even the sound of the great hoppers were gone. 

Time passed and the land broke fully free of its infection and it finally began to heal. Oro really didn't care, maybe business would increase. He didn't do anything but train, eat, and sleep anymore. Life just seemed so grey and tiresome.

  
  


Karr awoke they felt like their shell was splitting in two. They reached up and felt the large hole in their shell. They panicked a little before trying to calm. They just had to get back to Oro, he would take care of them.

Saying that was one thing but actually doing it was another. They were deep within the ancient basin and everything hurt so much. They had no idea how long they were down there but as they heard the sound of the raining city above they got excited.

They were worse than when they started. Old injuries reopened and new ones joined them. Karr was overjoyed when they felt the steady stream of rain hit them. They didn't notice the nearby bug but what they did was that their body finally gave up. They felt everything go numb at once and they crashed to the ground. 

  
  


When Karr awoke they were out of the rain. They guessed they were in one of the many buildings in the giant city. The tapping of the rain almost lulled them back to sleep but no they had to get up and get back to their father. 

Rising from the cot they were placed they noticed most of their wounds were badaged. Their legs were still pretty weak but they managed, leaning on the wall for support as they shambled out the door. The new room looked like a shop with items on every shelf. At a counter sat a bug with a red shell and some kind of fluff around their neck. Karr slowly made their way to the counter. Once there they heavily leaned on it snapping the bug away from what they were working on. 

“What are you doing up? You should be resting.” He sounded more worried than angry. Karr pointed at the door. 

“You are in no condition to be going anywhere.” Karr huffed and let go of the counter to walk out the door but before they were even halfway there, their legs gave out and they collapsed. 

Lemm sighed and walked over to help the vessel up. “This is why you need to go back and rest or do you plan on falling into water and drowning?” Karr shook their head and allowed Lemm to help them back to bed. They’d sadly have to stay here for some time but Lemm wasn’t that bad.

_____

Karr slowly regained their strength and was able to walk plenty without help but not for very long. At some point they were able to convey to Lemm where they were trying to get to their father. Lemm doesn’t know how he allowed himself to get pulled in and help Karr return to their father.

After triple checking he had locked his shop he met Karr outside who was standing in the rain. Everything was a lot safer with the infection gone. Traversing the city isn’t what Lemm was scared of though, it was the Kingdom's edge. The place could be deadly with or without the infection. While the way getting out of the City of Tears to Kingdom's Edge was easy traveling to where Karr wanted to go would not be easy. Luckily a new bridge was built across the lake of acid so crossing that wouldn’t be a problem. 

Hoppers were a pest though, even without being infected. Karr wasn’t in the best place to protect both of them so usually they just ran. Lemm ended up getting hit by a falling spike. Lemm thought the hoppers were bad but the great hoppers were even worse, several times they were nearly trampled under their needle like limbs. He could only hope once they arrived at their destination Karr’s ‘father’ would let him stay for a while.

When Karr saw Oro’s hut they let go of Lemm and ran as fast as their weak legs could take them. Lemm rushed after, not wanting Karr to fall and get injured even more or reopen a wound.

  
  


_____

Two quick knocks, a pause, then another knock.

The noise was so quiet and almost muffled by the sound of the wind and the new sound of life. Oro was almost sure it was just his mind playing another trick on him, but his body still moved out of habit. He rushed to the entrance and shoved the cloth out of the way. He expected for nothing to be there like it had always been and then he'd return back inside and continue feeling numb. 

Oro nearly started to cry then and there. He swore and was dreaming or that he had finally lost it. But Karr reached out and hugged him. Karr was covered in ash, dirt, dried infection and even their own black blood. Not to mention a good part of their shell was gone. They had so many injuries most carefully bandaged up. Oro hugged them back, careful but still firm, he didn't want them to go and leave him again. He finally had his child back. 

Oro caught the eye of the bug that had come with Karr. They were smaller than him and had a long beard which seemed quite inconvenient; he also had his fair share of injuries . He most likely helped Karr get here seeing as they could barely support themself. Oro lifted Karr up and carried them inside and allowed the other bug to follow. 

  
  


Once inside Oro carefully removed their cloak to see their injuries better. They were already bandaged up but they clearly needed replacing and there were a few fresh ones that needed covering. Karr sat on Oro's bed and he carefully cleaned the cut and bandaged them. The bug, who Oro learned is named Lemm, did him best to help as well. And Lemm tried his best to bandage the break in Karr's shell. Oro bundled Karr up in soft blankets and pillows and ordered them to rest while he got them something to eat and clean their cloak. 

After Oro helped Lemm patch himself up the two got to talking and Lemm explained he found Karr extremely injured and crawling out the gates to the ancient basin and while after the infection disappeared. He was worried for them and took them in and bandaged them up. When he had inquired about family they told him about Oro to the best of their ability. They insisted on going to Oro and Lemm seeing as Karr was in no condition to make any kind of trip, much less a long one decided to come with them. 

Oro thanked Lemm for helping Karr out and bringing them back to him. 

When it was time to sleep Oro decided it would be best if Karr was at least a foot away so Oro wouldn't accidentally hurt them since fitful sleep was common for him now. Despite Oro's bed(more like nest) being large due to the gap Oro set in place, he and Lemm would have to sleep fairly close. Throughout the night Oro would awake in a cold sweat and reach over and feel for Karr checking they were actually there and Oro hadn't been dreaming. He cried a lot that night then he'd like to admit. Lemm would usually awake and try to help him the best he could seeing as he wasn't very good with emotions. A few times Karr had awoken and attempted to comfort their father. 

  
  


It was hard but the three of them made it work. Oro and Lemm would take turns replacing Karr's bandages. The two would swap stories about their lives and Karr would listen happily. It was nice, this was nice. The three of them could get used to whatever this little "family" was. 


End file.
